Memories
by NinjaKipz
Summary: Just little memories of Noodle's past.
1. Russel and Reading

"_Now repeat what I say," _

"Hai,_"_

"_Ducky's ducklings went for a swim,"_

_I pursed my lips and knitted my eyebrows together, trying to form my lips around the funny words, "Duckee's…ducklings w...went…fo'…ah…ah sweem,"_

_Russel sighed from behind the cardboard book filled with pictures of happy ducks, "That's not right," he muttered, looking at me over the book, "You're following the words right, you're just not pronouncing them correctly," he said more to himself, but I just blinked, not understanding anything he had just said. _

_It had been a little over four months since I arrived here, and I had met Russel right after I met 2-D, the funny looking man with bruised eyes and two missing teeth who talked funny; Russel, the large dark coloured man who talked different from the other two; and Murdoc, the man who was quite mean to 2-D but feared Russel. I didn't really like Murdoc at first, because of how mean he was towards me, but now he just ignores my existence. I really don't mind all that much, as long as he doesn't hurt 2-D anymore._

"_Ok, let's try this page," Russel said, turning the page and there were more pictures of ducks. I scoffed and he looked at me, raising a large eyebrow._

"_What's wrong, Baby Girl? You don't like this book?" he asked._

_I blinked at him, still not understanding, "_I don't like this book, can't we read something else_?" I asked in my native tongue. He stared at me, trying to comprehend what I just said._

"You want to read something else_?" he asked me in slow Japanese, and I nodded frantically. I didn't like this Ducky book; it was stupid. _

"_Ok," he said slowly, closing the book and tossing it away. 'Ok' meant something like 'yes' or 'alright', I remember that, "_Why don't you pick it_?" he asked in the same broken Japanese and I got up, looking around for another. When I didn't find anything, I sat cross legged in front of him. _

"_No…book…" I said in broken English, and Russel grinned at me._

"_Good, you know how to say two more words," he said, patting my head gently. I looked up at him and smiled._

"_T…Tele…televis…television," I said, trying to pronounce it right. The television had Japanese subtitles, surprisingly, so I could watch something which still learning English. _

_Russel nodded and stood, going over to the electric box and turning it on. I flopped onto my belly, holding my head in my hands while I watched the latest cartoon of Pokémon…_


	2. Piano with 2-D

_It was a humid Thursday afternoon, I think. I can't remember if the sun was out or not, not that it really mattered because of the gray skies that were always over Kong, but it was hot out anyway. I was around the age of eleven, only knowing a few select English vocabularies that 2-D and Russel had taught me; Murdoc never really cared if I spoke English or not, just that I could continue playing the guitar for the band. Anyway, that afternoon I was sitting in the studio all by myself, wondering what to do now that I had finished my daily session of guitar playing, when 2-D came into the room. I stood from my seat and gave him a bow, which he returned quite awkwardly. I gave a small laugh and he smiled at me, walking from the doorway and into the studio._

"_Whot's up, Noodz?" he asked in that funny accent of his. I knew what that meant; he had taught me it, saying it was a greeting that meant 'What are you doing?', or something along the lines of that._

_I thought back to yesterday's lessons and smiled up at him, "Geetar," I said, hoping that I pronounced it right._

_He gave me a small laugh and pronounced it correctly for me, "Guitar, kind o' like the start o' guinea pig," _

_I gave him a confused look and he shook his head, muttering "Neve'mind," and walked over to one of his keyboards. He played for a while, letting me listen while I pretended to tend to one of my many guitars. "Come 'ere, Noodz," he said with his bruised eyes wide and a toothy grin when I turned and looked at him. I didn't know what he meant but when he patted the seat next to him on the bench, I understood. I walked over, took a seat, and looked up at him. He gave me a comforting smile and grabbed my small hand, placing it on the keyboard, spreading each finger so it was on a key. _

"_A," he said clearly, pressing the key down with my thumb and I remembered that letter from the alphabet Russel had taught me._

"_A," I echoed, pressing down on the key again. 2-D grinned and placed my forefinger on the next key._

"_B," he said, pressing it down. I did the same and he continued to grin. He did this until my pinkie hit 'E', and then I understood what he was doing. 2-D was teaching me how to play the piano. _

"Piano," 2-D said, "Yew say it now," he encouraged, looking at me with his expectant eyes. I pursed my lips and crinkled my brows, "Peeahno," I tried to fit the strange word around my tongue and it didn't come out exactly like his, but he was glad nonetheless.

_He began bouncing in his seat a little, "Yer doin' great, Noodz! Keep it up an' you'll be playin' along wif me in no time!"_

_I didn't have a single idea what he had said, but by his happy expression and body language, I decided it was good. I grinned at him and he taught me a simple tune, something he called 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star', telling me it was a French folk Song or something like that. I memorized the tune quickly and the way his hands moved across the board, hoping that it stayed with me. _

"_Yew try," he said, taking his hands off and placing mine on top the keys. I looked up at him and he nodded in encouragement. I played it, stumbling sometimes when I didn't remember the correct note but had finished it with glee, happy that I knew something other than the guitar. He gently patted my back in affection and I gave him a small hug, showing my appreciation._

"_A simple fank you could 'ave done," he joked, but I looked up at him and smiled._

"_Fank you!" I repeated, letting his thin frame go and jumping off the bench, running off the tell Russel the good news._


	3. First Concert

_These feelings were new to me: the knots in my stomach and how I couldn't speak; not like I had anything to say, but still. This never happened before, not even my first visit to the dentist. I sat quietly in the dressing room, watching 2-D quietly singing one of our songs to himself in the mirror. I looked over at Russel and he was twirling a drumstick in his hand, looking very deep in thought. I turned to Murdoc, who was doing something in the full body mirror. I furrowed my brows and tilted my head, watching his hips move back and forth, but I made a face and turned back to look down at my guitar that was in my lap. _

"_You a'ight, BabyGirl?" _

_I looked up and saw Russel looking at me, and I noticed that 'alright' question. I was about to nod my head but someone knocked on the door and I quickly shook my head, hiding behind my guitar. Russel came over to gently pat my head while Murdoc talked to the person at the door._

"_Whot's w'ong wif Noodz?" 2-D asked, coming over to us and kneeling in front of me. I looked up at him and readjusted my helmet, pouting my bottom lip slightly. Russel answered for me._

"_I think it's just some pre-show jitters, 'D," he explained and I stared at the man in front of me. 2-D gave me a big smile and sat next to me, suddenly taking my small body into his lap. My eyes wide, I looked up at him and he gave me a huge, crushing hug that squeezed some Japanese words out of me._

"_It's aw'ight Noodz, I'm nervous too, can't yeh see?" he asked, letting me go and I tried to comprehend what he was saying. 'Nervous', 'alright', 'Noodz'. I think he was comforting me, so I gave him a smile and returned the late hug._

"_Five minutes, then we'e on! Whot's with all the huggin'?" Murdoc demanded in his raspy voice, walking over to us after shutting the door, "The kid's not ditchin', it's too late fo' that!"_

_The three of us looked up at him and I noticed that the men giving a slight glare, so I gave him one, too. _

"_Noodle's jus' ne'vous, Mudz," 2-D explained, but I sat quietly, noticing how the knots in my stomach seemed to disappear at the familiar bickering. Murdoc snorted and kneeled down on one knee in front of me, staring into my narrow eyes._

"_Noodle-luv," he began, and I recognized my name, because that's what he called me instead of 'Noodle', 'Noodz' or 'BabyGirl', "Bein' nervous 'bout yeh first concert is the last thing yeh should be worried 'bout."_

_I just stared at him, a blank expression on my face, but he continued talking, "Whot yeh should be worrin' 'bout is that yeh don't mess up, 'cause if yeh do, nobody will like us and they'll boo us off the stage."_

_Russel's hand met his face and 2-D looked at Murdoc with horror, then looked at me and said in a rather nervous voice, "D-Don't lissen tah 'im, Noodz, 'e doesn't know whot 'e's sayin'!"_

_I pursed my lips and didn't try to comprehend what Murdoc told me, but the knots in my stomach came back anyway. _

"_Ahh, whot's the point of giv'n 'er advice when she doesn't even listen!" Murdoc got up and returned to his mirror, in a 'whatever, I don't care' mood. He continued to pose in front of the mirror and I looked back up at 2-D. His teeth were slightly chattering like he was cold and he was beginning to shake. _

"_No worry, 2-D," I told him, giving him a smile when he looked down at me, "Noodle not nervous," that was a lie, but I wanted to calm him down. It seemed to have worked and he gave me a smile, no longer shaking. Whatever Murdoc said must have frightened him._

_**Knock, knock.**_

"_Let's go, Gorillaz!" a voice called from outside the door._

_Oh, great. _


	4. 19-2000 Recording

_It hadn't been long until I realized that I was an actual member of the band. I mean, yeah, I played the guitar full-time, both at the recording sessions and concerts, but during that time it hadn't __**really**__ sunk in until now. With a huge pair of headphones on my small head, I looked up at the pane of glass separating myself from the rest of the Gorillaz and another man I haven't seen before that was turning knobs and pressing buttons. I was standing, not very tall, in front of a small stand with a single piece of paper on top. It was in English; the language I had still needed to master. I looked back down at it and thought of what stupid band mates I had; both they and I knew that I didn't speak English, so what made them think I could __**read**__ it?_

"…umm_," I stuttered into the large microphone head in front of my mouth. 2-D, from the opposite side of the glass, looked rather supportive, along with Russel, while Murdoc looked almost bored as he watched me stutter and open my mouth timidly. What did they want me to do?_

"_Go a'ead, Noodz," 2-D encouraged when he pressed a certain button, my ears being filled with his thick accent. I blinked at him and simply looked back at the sheet. The boys had tried to teach me some simple English, like 'yes' and 'no', or 'food' for when I got hungry, but even that had its limitations. Murdoc got a __**little**__ impatient with me at times because of my lack of knowledge of the English language._

"_Like we practiced, BabyGirl," Russel's deep voice said, and I looked up to see the dark man's smile. 'Practice' was another word I knew; it meant playing my guitars for our songs or like this morning when Russel had gone into my room while I was sleeping to wake me up for a recording session, causing me to be slightly grumpy. It wasn't my fault I stayed up late watching movies and playing games; I just enjoy them too much! Anyway, he sat with me at the kitchen while I stuffed cereal into my mouth, trying my best not to fall asleep while Russel attempted to teach me random words that I hadn't managed to memorize._

_Suddenly, the Satanist banged his fist on the buttons and he snarled at me, causing me to look over at him through the glass, "Sing the fuckin' lyrics already!" and I blinked, hearing the word 'sing'. Instantly, I cleared my throat and they all looked expectantly at me._

_But I closed my mouth again and they all sighed, a new glare coming from Murdoc. He yelled something at 2-D, but I couldn't hear him since none of their hands were on the button. The blue-haired man looked a little frightened before nodding, rushing to the door (tripping over a chair, naturally) and throwing it open, stumbling in while it slammed shut behind him. I smiled at him and whispered his name, a small bow following it. _

"'_Ey, Noodz," he greeted back softly, coming over to me with a small, almost nervous smile while he looked at the glass. He gulped and looked down at me, "A-Ah'm gunna 'elp yew sing," he said with that same smile. I only blinked in confusion until he put on a pair of headphones that were like mine. _

"_2-D…sing?" I asked, excitement slipping into my voice as I looked up at him. He nodded back at me and I couldn't help but grin, looking at the paper again, determined to sing along with him._

"_Ah awready sang mah part, Noodz, so jus' do yers," he instructed, looking up at the strange man in the other room before giving a nod, both of our headphones being played a bubbly tune, one that I recognized instantly. We recorded it a few days ago in this same room._

_2-D opened his mouth and began singing steadily, stuffing his hands in his pockets while he looked elsewhere. I smiled and looked up at him, hearing his voice in the other ear. Suddenly, after half a minute, he stopped and waited a few seconds, looking down at me when I didn't sing along._

"_Sing, Noodz," he commanded softly, the song stopped and it played from the beginning. I nodded at whatever he had said, and he began singing again, but stopped when I didn't join in again. I don't understand the whole point of this; maybe they wanted me to say something for the song? If so, why?_

"_C'mon, Noodle!" he said with a slight whine or neediness laced within the small plea. I bit the inside of my cheek, something I did whenever I was nervous, and looked up at him with a look. We stared at each other for a few moments before realization brightened his pitch-black eyes. _

"_Yew don't know the song, do yew?" he asked softly and I shook my head, even if I didn't know what he said, but the look on his face said he understood my problem. Sighing, he looked at the strange man and did a motion with his hand against his neck, the music stopping after a moment._

_Turning back to me, 2-D grabbed a near-by chair and sat down, grabbing the sheet. "Ok," he began, "Repeat after me: 'He'e yew go!" he said in a loud, happy voice and I had to giggle when his voice almost broke. "You say it," he encouraged me, and I responded with a blink._

"_He'e yew go!" 2-D repeated after a moment and I moistened my bottom lip with a quick flash of my tongue. The room was a little stale. This whole '2-D yelling at me' had continued for five minutes until I finally realized that maybe 2-D wanted me to say those three words._

"_He'e yew go..." 2-D muttered hopelessly, looking a little gloomy, until I smiled and said in a happy voice:_

"_Here you go!"_

_Whipping up his head excitedly, 2-D wore a large grin and his eyes were round, "That's it, Noodz!" he said with the same smile. He looked over at the glass and saw that Murdoc had left, while Russel and the strange man talked._

_He waved his hands above his head while I continued to whisper 'here you go' to myself, facing back to the microphone. Then it clicked; they wanted me to sing, but I didn't know __**what**__ to sing, but now I do and we can all be happy again!_

"_Ok, lil' luv, just say that again when I nod," he explained and I pursed my lips. What did he say? I didn't get enough time to ponder about it when the music started playing again. He sang his part like he normally did, with a deep and rich voice that still held his funny accent that made me smile. He stopped singing and looked over at me, and he nodded. Why did he nod? _

_Nevertheless, I looked back at the microphone and yelled happily, "Here you go!"_

_2-D patted my helmet affectionately when the music stopped, and I looked at the strange man, seeing him push more buttons and other things. Russel waved at me and gave a thumbs up, which I learned was a good thing, and I grinned at him widely. _

"_That was awesome, Noodz!" 2-D cheered, taking his hand from my headwear…_


	5. Murdoc's Stew

_Murdoc was never a nice man; in fact, he was plain evil sometimes. He bought women home late at night when he went out, he drank until I could literally smell him from my room, he bullied 2-D until he was satisfied, he ate without regards for anyone else's hunger…he, simply, didn't give a shit about anyone or anything except himself._

_The first time I had met Murdoc, was when I arrived. He didn't bow in respect to me, didn't shake my hand, or give me a welcoming hug...he just sneered, like I was a bother. I suppose I was at the time, until he heard me play. He was, no, __**is**__ a cold and bitter person, like an old lady that held a grudge for many years. Many times have I tried to connect with him like I did with 2-D and Russel, but he never gave me the time of day. In time, I gave up, not bothering to try anymore but to let him do what he did._

_But one day, almost a year since I arrived, I found myself in the kitchen with him. He was lazily making a meal for himself, ignoring any thoughts that maybe I wanted something to eat, too. I just sat at the table, watching his every move. His eyes looked down, almost calculating the things he was putting in the thing he was making, but his actions told me he didn't care, as long it was edible. _

"What are you cooking, Murdoc?" _I asked in my Native language, Japanese. He only looked over his shoulder at me, almost glaring._

"_Whot?" he asked, crinkling his brows together. I blinked and continued to stare, recognizing the word right away._

"_What...food?" I asked, looking at the pot in front of him. He looked down at the stew, then back at me._

"_Whot?" he repeated, "Yeh wonderin' whot I'm makin'?" he asked, seemingly disgusted by the simple question. I simply nodded in confirmation. He raised an eyebrow at me and turned back to his cooking, "I'm makin' stew," he muttered, loud enough for me to hear._

"_Stew…" I whispered to myself, remembering the word for later. This was possibly the most words Murdoc has ever said to me, so I decided to keep the conversation going. "Good…stew?" I asked after a moment._

_He turned his back to his food and looked at me with an unhappy expression, arms crossed while holding a big plastic spoon in one hand, "Whot are yeh on about? Yeh tryin' to get some o' my stew? Yeh jus' like that bloody faceache," he muttered and I had no idea what he said except for 'faceache' in which he was referring to 2-D, so I repeated myself._

"_Good stew?" _

_He sneered a little again, "Yea, it's really fuckin' good stew, a'right? Jus' leave me alone now," and he turned back to stir the pot. _

_Leave him alone? "Why?" I asked, remembering the words I've already learned._

_He made a groaning sound like he was in pain and turned to look at me again, "Does it matteh why?" he demanded, still glaring at me._

_I shrugged in response._

_He snarled and turned away, angrily stirring the stew as I continued to look at him. I didn't mean to make him angry, I was just asking questions._

_I bowed my head in shame. "Murdoc mad?" I asked gently, looking at him from beneath my eyelashes._

_He sighed and looked at me, extremely unhappy before spitting: "At the moment, luv, yea, Ah am pretty annoyed," and he turned back around, seemingly ending the conversation._

_I debated whether or not to ask my next question, but I did anyway, "…Why?" _

"_Oh, fo' the love o' Satan!" he yelled, throwing the big spoon into the stew, getting some of it on the walls and he turned to me, "Whot the 'ell do yeh want with me, Noodle?! Ah'm jus' makin' some stew fo' myself, that's all!" He stood there, breathing hard for a few moments and I just stared at him, trying to find words that I understood in his yelling._

_He muttered something to himself and got out a bowl, turning off the stove and pouring the stew into the bowl. Wordlessly, he grabbed a spoon, stuck it into the chunky liquid, and walked over to me, roughly placing it on the table in front of me, spilling some onto it. I looked up at him, completely surprised._

"_The'e, is that whot yeh want?! Jus' leave me alone now!" he demanded, walking back to grab himself a bowl. After he left the room, I remembered what 2-D taught me to say when someone gave me something._

"_Fank you, Murdoc!" I yelled, grabbing my spoon and smiling as I heard Murdoc kick something over while cursing…_


	6. Haircut

"_She's 'ere, can't she jus' get it done roight now?!"_

"_I'm sorry, sir, but there ah' other customers waitin'."_

"_So whot?! Don't you know who she is?! She's __**Noodle**__! From the Gorillaz!"_

"_Sorry, but I do not make exceptions for celebs," and the wide lady walked off in her high heels, leaving an almost red in the face Murdoc at the till. He turned and faced the rest of us, 2-D hiding under his chair while Russel and I looked up expectantly, despite his mean look._

"_They can't see yeh right now, Noodle- luv," he said to me, keeping his voice calm but I could tell he was seething inside, "Ahh, she's a bitch anyway," he said, swatting at the air with a passive expression, "Come, luv, we'll go cut yer hair at Kong," and he walked out of the salon, not waiting for the rest of us as he stormed out. I sighed and grabbed 2-D's hand, pulling him out from underneath the chair and leading him out of the salon with Russel following close behind us._

_I had just turned thirteen a few days ago which, to Murdoc, means that I was now a 'teenager'. I didn't quite understand what the word meant and when he tried to explain it, he just got frustrated and yelled at me that it was about time I changed how I looked, like the rest of the band had. He left right after that and Russel took the time to explain it all to me. _

_The next morning, Murdoc dragged us all off to town, finding the nearest salon where I could change how I looked._

"_What Murdoc want with me?" I asked, crinkling my brows while I looked up at 2-D._

_He bit his lower lip, "Uhm…well, yeh see, Noodz, Murdoc finks yeh need ta look diff'rent, so 'e's gettin' someone to 'elp 'im do that…"_

_There it was again, those 'look' and 'different' words put together. I thought I looked fine, "Murdoc not like Noodle look?" I asked, curious and maybe slightly hurt. Did Murdoc not like how I looked?_

_2-D shrugged, "Ah don't know, lil' luv, 'e's just a wei'd pe'son like that, nobody really knows whot 'e's thinkin'…"_

_I looked forward, watching as Murdoc began angrily stomping back home like a child and I thought that maybe if I completely changed how I looked, maybe he would like me better. I smiled and tugged on 2-D's hand._

"_2-D help me?" I asked, and he nodded. I grinned again and lead him into the nearest shop, dragging him to a certain isle. I heard Russel and Murdoc following, the latter grumbling as he followed with his arms crossed. _

"_Whot do yeh need in 'ere, Noodz?" 2-D asked, looking around the isle. I ignored his question and let his hand go, going over to the hair products. I kneeled down on the ground, pursing my lips as I searched for the right one. Then I felt Murdoc kneel beside me and he raised an eyebrow in my direction when I looked at him._

"_Yeh sure yeh wont this?" he asked when I was about to grab a box. I nodded, hearing the word 'want' in his sentence. I looked back at the small boxes, grabbing a large kit and showing him._

"_I want this." I declared, letting Murdoc take it from me to inspect it. 2-D looked over his shoulder at it then he stared at me._

"_Pu'ple?" he asked, not really rejecting the idea but simply reconfirming my desires._

_I nodded quickly in response, "_Hai_,"_

_The three men had begun to understand some of my simple Japanese words during the two years I've been with them, so they knew it was what I wanted. Russel took it from Murdoc, who stood and looked around while I also stood._

"_You really want purple hair, BabyGirl? I'm sure there's other colors, like brown or blond." He suggested, and I made a face._

"_Noodle want purple," I confirmed, making sure that the other two men heard me. Russel nodded and handed the package back to me, and I tucked it under my arm, standing to look at the shampoos. I picked one that was coloured-hair friendly._

"_Alright, let's go," Murdoc grumbled behind me and went to the register, a pair of hair clippers in his hand. I gulped. Maybe this wouldn't end well._

_Back at home, Murdoc lead me to the bathroom, scissors in hand and told me to wet my hair in the sink. It almost went to the middle of my back and was jet black, the color I had gotten tired of. The whole reason I picked purple was because I liked it and it was dramatic enough for Murdoc's demands._

"_All yeh need to do now, luv" he handed me the clippers, "is cut yeh hair howevah yeh wont," Murdoc told me, leaning against the doorframe. I partially understood what he told me, then he threw a nearby magazine to me, "Look through 'ere, should find somethin'…" and he closed the door behind himself, finally leaving me alone._

_I faced the mirror, blinking at my reflection. Cut my hair? Like how? I sighed and flipped through the magazine, skimming the pictures of women's haircuts and styles. There were so many choices; curly, straight, long, short… I was about to give up and just cut it really short, but one picture caught my eye. A blond, pale woman with straight hair, blond fringe draped over her eyes, giving her almost a mysterious look. I smiled and tore the page out, pasting it on the mirror so I could look at it easily._

_The fringe was the only thing that was hard; how could I cut my hair with it in my eyes? I figured it out but messed up the back a little; it wasn't exactly symmetrical. There were blunt layers and the back was a little long in random chunks…but I didn't mind and now, was the dying. I walked out of the bathroom, going to the living room for my stuff. I walked into the room, seeing Russel and 2-D watching some show and they both looked at me. I gave them a big, awkward smile and they gave a grin back._

"_Nice 'air, Noodz," 2-D complimented, still wearing a grin. I felt my cheeks flush from the attention as they both continued to stare._

"_Thank you," I said softly, grabbing my dye kit and rushing back to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I smiled and got the kit out, ripping it open and trying to read the instructions. After ten minutes, I gave up and sought help from one of the boys. Russel ended up helping me, with 2-D watching because he 'had nofing better to do'. _

_After a long time, I forget exactly how long it took; but my hair was a bright blonde at the end of it. Luckily I had stayed out of the sun long enough that I no longer had tanned skin, but fairly pale instead. 2-D teased me that I should keep it like that, saying how he fancied blondes better than others, but he was only joking so I laughed along, letting Russel mix the purple dye together. _

_The actual dying part took half an hour, Russel ordering me to take a shower and rinse it out, using some kind of special conditioner the kit came with. I did as he told me to and I had to gasp at my hair when I wiped the steam from the mirror. I quickly redressed in my nightwear and dried my hair completely, going out to show the boys. They were happy at the result, even Murdoc was slightly impressed; but I assumed it was only because I followed what he told me to do…_


	7. The Punch

_I slammed the door to my room, hearing it echo as heavy pants left my lips and tears streamed down my blushing cheeks. I was shaking; I could tell when I held my left hand out in the air, just to see its condition. I saw the split knuckles, bleeding and bruised. I held in a whimper and crushed it into a fist, sliding down the door and sitting there, letting my tears fall onto my shirt as sobs wracked my thin body. _

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

_When I'm overcome with emotion, I automatically switch to Japanese. It's a weakness and a strength, a weakness because it often confuses the ones I love but also a strength so I can rant without hurting anybody…but, I've now found out that body language is the same in every inch of the world._

"_I'm so sorry, please forgive me….I'm sorry…I'm sorry…_"

_I wiped the wetness from my face with my unharmed hand and looked back down at my left. I felt good about it but also very guilty. Why did I do it? I didn't mean to…_

_Earlier, all four of us were watching TV when Murdoc declared the what we decided to watch was 'stupid' and 'boring', so 2-D decided to stick up for it. That obviously was a bad decision on his part, since an argument started between the two, and Russel and I were stuck watching them bicker. Russel reassured me that it wouldn't last long and that Murdoc would become annoyed and just stalk off to his Winnie, leaving the TV to the three of us. I had gone along with it, but when they began throwing punches, we all knew it wasn't going to end like it always did. 2-D had received one kick to the stomach and fire ran through my veins. I stood from my seat, got on top of the couch and jumped onto Murdoc's back, which had successfully slammed him into a nearby wall, before finally knocking both of us to the ground. I sat on his stomach, reeled my left fist back and swung it down with all of the force I had._

_This was the first time I had hit Murdoc, and I hoped it was the last._

Knock, knock.

_I pushed myself away from the door quickly, standing up and opening the door just a crack, so I could see who it was. It was Russel._

"_Hey, Baby Girl…can I come in?" he asked softly, as if knowing the guilt I felt. I nodded and opened the door completely, crushing my somewhat father figure with a hug. He petted my hair gently, as if I was made of glass and I forced myself not to cry anymore. _

"_Is Murdoc…mad?" I asked slowly, peeking up to look at the big man._

_Russel nodded his head slowly and that did nothing to comfort the pang of guilt in my heart._

"_But don't worry, Noodle girl, that old bastard deserved it…I was just surprised you actually did it, even if you did threaten to on many occasions." Russel continued to pet my purple hair, comforting me as I tried not to weep._

"_I want to apologize so badly…" I whispered, closing my eyes, "But I know he won't forgive me right away…I just…burst, I guess. I've seen him beat on Stu so many times, but this time I just…had enough …"_

_Russel held me out at arm's length, studying my red face and teary eyes. "Don't worry Baby Girl, he'll forgive you soon," he said, ghostly white eyes determined and strong. I gave him a small smile, lightly tapping his arm and he let me go, leaving the room without a word while closing the door. I was grateful for the alone time, but then a few minutes later 2-D came in, opening the door slowly with a curious look on his face._

"'_Ey, lil' luv," he greeted in his usual way and I gave him a smile, feeling better now that my best friend was here._

"_Hi, Stu," I said softly and he came forward, wrapping his long arms around me in a hug. I returned it and he let me go gently, but he noticed my bleeding hand and he grabbed it, examining the knuckles._

"…_yew shouwd get this cleaned," he said simply, looking at me seriously and I gave a small laugh._

"_You always were the one to point out the obvious," I chuckled, and he laughed along with me. I felt better, but not completely content. I'd have to wait maybe a week until the bastard forgave me._

"_Well, yeh didn't break 'is nose, if yew we'e wonde'in'," he declared, looking at my reaction. I gave a small smile and a chuckle escaped my lips._

"_That's good…" I muttered, looking down at my injured hand, "Did I leave a bruise or a mark of any kind?" I asked, looking back up._

_2-D nodded, "O' course yeh did, a pre'y good bruise on 'is cheek."_

_I nodded and looked away, somewhere else other than 2-D's happy face._

"_F'anks fo' havin' mah back, Noodz," he said softly and I had to look back at him, seeing his thankful yet shameful face. I had a feeling this was the whole reason he came here; to thank me._

"_It's no problem, I will always have your back…and besides, it kind of felt good," I chuckled and he laughed along with me, "Just promise you'll try to at least be a bit more aggressive next time, ok?" I asked gently._

_2-D only nodded frantically, "Ah will, ah promise!"_

_I smiled and gave him another hug before he was on his way._

_Almost two weeks later, Murdoc forgave me with the exact words of 'Yea, whotevah, Noodle-luv, doesn't mean anythin' anymore," and I had given him a huge hug, which he didn't return, but I was glad nonetheless…_


	8. Cyborg Premonition

_I didn't know where I was, but it was dark and there was a pair of white swinging doors in front of me with little circular windows. I carefully went forward, pushing them open and buzzing filled my ears, like a bee was near. Sparks randomly went off, blinding me momentarily. It was dark inside, but not as dark as Hell. There was a blue tinge to the atmosphere, but cords and wire everywhere. I could see the outline of things, but the place filled me with paranoia and shook me with slight fear. I didn't know why._

_I walked through a narrow hall, looking around to see machinery and…guns? I blinked once, reaching out and touching the cool metal but instead of feeling it, my hands were covered in white gloves that went to my elbows. I stared down at them with my eyebrows drawn together then I looked down and saw black and white striped stockings. I looked up and around, confused, seeing more sparks and heard a machine start to run. It called out to me, yelling at me to come to it. I followed the sparks and the sound, until I turned a corner and gasped, stumbling back only to hit a buzzing machine._

_There stood a small girl with pale skin and pointed ears, her hair looked black with fringe just above her eyes. She wore a green vest and black pants, the belt around her waist holding shotgun shells and small pockets. Brown elbow-length gloves and boots, and a light blue military hat sat on her head. But one thing got me curious:_

_She had no face. Well, there was one but it was nothing but metal bits and white eyeballs with small black irises. It was odd, she seemed so familiar but I have never seen her before. I silently pulled away from the machine I was clinging to, and took a few cautious steps forward towards the girl. She didn't really seem like girl, not when I saw wires hanging from the ceiling and they connected to her body parts. She was a robot? No, she looked too realistic to just be pieces of metal. She was something better, greater than just a robot. A Cyborg?_

_Suddenly, another huge spark lit the place and it was almost like a spotlight hit the girl, making me jump from the light that shone down. I watched in horror as she stood straight, spewing out 'CHARGE COMPLETE' in a robotic voice and her left hand raised into the air, but there was something I never noticed before: a plastic face. The gloved hand slammed it shut, and I screamed at the top of my lungs when it gave me an evil smile._

_It was me, Noodle…a Cyborg Noodle. _


End file.
